Computer controlled and electronically operated postal scales are known in the art. Such scales may be included within a customer based postage system or may be stand-alone items, used to determine the necessary postage for mail pieces being prepared for delivery. It is also known that postal scales store postal rate data, that such postal rate data is subject to revision, and that the data stored in the scales needs to be updated at various times.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,119 to Kajimoto describes such a postal scale which operates in accordance with a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory). The disclosed system includes a charge table in ROM which stores rate and service data, for example, for use as a look up table. When it is necessary to provide updated rate data, the same is provided by manually inputting the same to the look up area of the ROM. Such a system thus requires extensive manual effort in order to update the data used to generate postage. As such data are set by a number of service providers, such as the US Postal Service, Federal Express and UPS for example, and as changes are thus frequently implemented, updating the service data, rate data and other information used therein becomes extremely expensive and troublesome.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,242 to Conti describes an electronic postage weighing scale 10 which similarly determines the postage value of weighed articles. As shown in FIG. 1, a known postal scale of the type disclosed in the Conti patent includes a front panel 11 having thereon a keyboard 12. The illustrated scale includes a pull-out draw 14, shown in phantom in its withdrawn state. A weighing pan 16 is provided at the top of scale 10, supported by a support member 17 connected to a transducer 19 to form a load cell of the scale. The scale is electronically controlled and operated, by electronics 20 which includes a number of removable circuit chips 22 on an IC (Integrated Circuit) board 23. Information provided by the scale to a user is displayed on a display 21.
The chips may include PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory) chips which store a postal rate table to simplify updating of the rates. When postal rates are changed, a new or updated chip is mailed or supplied to the user. The user is then required to pull out the draw from the housing, remove the old outdated chip from the IC board, install the new chip in substitution therefor, and push the draw back into the housing. While the advance provided in this patent eliminates much of the difficulty associated with updating scales to account for changes in data, operator intervention is nonetheless required and the possibility of operator error remains,. as does the possibility that the new or updated chip may become lost or damaged in transition or in the mails.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,532 to Dlugos et al overcomes difficulties associated with such operator intervention in a process for updating postage rate data in memories associated with remote mail processing apparatus. The system disclosed in this patent encodes the revised postage rate data into tone signals at a central data processing facility and transmits the tone signals to the remote mail processing apparatus over a telephone line. The mail processing apparatus includes a decoder, in the form of a modem, receiving the signals transmitted thereto. After decoding the received tone signals to binary data, a data processor in the apparatus responds to the binary data and updates the memory with the revised postage rate data. While implementing a data update from a remote location more efficiently than the prior art, the disclosure does not address the manner of applying possible charges for the service, or the possibility that the very operation and functioning of the scale may become outmoded and subject to revision.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,120 to Schwartz et al. also discloses an electronic postage scale system in which postal rates and charges are updated without replacing a memory. However, as disclosed therein, such updates are implemented analogously to the disclosure of the above noted patent to Conti. That is, in the illustrative preferred embodiment the application program and operating system are stored in a flash EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory) within the console, and the rate schedule data are stored in a rate module within the same. Whenever there is a change in the postage rates, shipping charges, or other cost factors, the data in that particular (rate) module is overwritten with new data. Rather than replacing the EEPROM, the patent discloses providing to the user an IC card, which includes an EPROM (electrically programmable read only memory) or a flash EEPROM which includes the new rate schedule data along with header information specifying the nature of the data. To download the new rate schedule data a user is required to insert the IC card containing the new data into a connector. Upon initialization, a microprocessor within the system accesses the data in the IC card and downloads the same to the EEPROM module within the console, thus updating the data. Thereafter, the user removes the IC card which can then be returned to the card originator for reuse. However, the preferred embodiment continues to require manual intervention by insertion of an IC card in the console, does not describe a manner of assessing and/or collecting charges or fees associated with the service, and does not describe changing other software in the scale, such as the application running therein.
Though not necessarily forming part of the present invention, the above described disclosures are helpful in understanding the environment in which the present invention is believed to be most helpful. To eliminate the necessity for detailed description of such an environment, and of the details of postal meters and postage systems utilizing the same, the contents of each of the above described prior art documents is hereby specifically incorporated by reference.
However, none of these prior art disclosures provides for a system which permits an economical implementation of bi-directional data update, wherein a service provider is provided with an update of information relevant to field distribution and location of its equipment, indicative of location, usage, and users of specific models and versions.
Thus, none of the above described disclosures updates user software, including application software or firmware and data identifying changes in rates, zip codes, mail zones or directory data, and supplies to the service provider update data from the user, such as customer name and address, or equipment identification such as model number, software version numbers, etc.
Still further, the prior art fails to provide a straightforward approach to updating a database of the service provider, enabling rapid collection of data relevant to location of various models and versions of equipment supplied by the provider equipment, without imposing burdens on users to provide the data.
Moreover, while the use of 1-900 telephone billing services is generally known in the art, the prior art fails to provide for a prompt and efficient assessment, billing and collection of service fees from users availing themselves of software updating services of the type described herein, particularly for updating of postal rate data and associated software for postal scales.
There is accordingly a need in the prior art for an apparatus and method for updating postal scales of the type used in postage meter systems, whether by providing updates in rates and other data or by providing updates for software and applications running on the user system.
There is more specifically a need for a system which permits an economical implementation of bi-directional data update for postal scales, wherein a service provider is provided with an update of information relevant to field distribution and location of its equipment, and a user is provided with updated software and data.
There is also a need in the prior art for apparatus and method to enable a provider of postal scale equipment and service to bill for and collect fees for updating data and/or software applications provided to users in a simple and economic fashion.
Additionally, there is a need in the prior art for a method of providing data to a supplier of postage equipment, to enable the supplier to maintain a database identifying the location of specific models of equipment and versions of software and data being used therein.
There is a more specific need in the prior art for a method of providing data to a supplier of postage equipment, to enable the supplier to maintain a database identifying the location of specific models of equipment and versions of software and data being used therein which does not rely on accuracy of inputs by a user, and which is implemented automatically while servicing the user.